07/30/2014SYRIA - ISLAM Gregory III: "Christians and Muslims, we are each other's best guarantors" In his message for the end of Ramadan, the Greek-Melkite Catholic patriarch of Antioch notes that Christians and Muslims built the Arab civilisation together and pleads with "our Arab brothers to come together to save Islam" from the extremist currents that are invading it. "We must, can and want to stay together, Muslims and Christians, to build together a better world for our future generations and our common future." Damascus (AsiaNews)
- "Christians and Muslims, we are each other's best guarantors," writes Gregory
III Laham, Greek-Melkite Catholic patriarch of Antioch and All the East in a
message "to our beloved Muslim brothers and...
07/29/2014ISRAEL - PALESTINE Gaza: as airstrikes and rocket attack resume, Netanyahu "ready for a long operation" Death toll reaches 1,113. Gaza's only power plant is hit. Diplomatic efforts continue. French presidency says Western leaders agree "to redouble their efforts". According to Al-Arabiya, a delegation of various Palestinian factions arrived today in Cairo for talks on Egyptian cease-fire proposal.
07/29/2014IRAQ Patriarch Sako: In the end, peace, not war, will win in Mosul The Patriarch, together with a delegation of French prelates in Erbil, came to be among the families of Christians expelled by jihadists. "I bring Pope Francis' solidarity and love," he said. Shias are persecuted in Mosul as well. Their shrines and places of worship have been destroyed as well. The city is suffering from fuel and power shortages.
07/28/2014ISRAEL - PALESTINE Truce holding in Gaza raises hopes for negotiations by Joshua Lapide
After the UN Security Council called for an "immediate and unconditional humanitarian ceasefire," Israel stopped its airstrikes whilst sporadic Islamist rocket fire continues. For Obama, a long-term solution should allow "Palestinians in Gaza to lead normal lives" as well as "ensure the disarmament of terrorist groups and the demilitarisation of Gaza".
07/28/2014ISLAM Eid al-Fitr: Ramadan ends today (for Sunnis) For Shia Muslims, the festival of Eid begins tomorrow. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon (Sunnis) announce the end of Ramadan, which commemorates the period during which the Koran was revealed to Muhammad.
07/27/2014VATICAN "Stop! I am asking you with all my heart. Stop!" says pope as he speaks out on the Middle East, Iraq and Ukraine He mentions children, victims of war, "from whom we take away the hope for a decent life," urging the parties to address "every diatribe with the tenacity of dialogue and negotiation and the power of reconciliation". As tomorrow marks 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War, "a day of mourning," we should learn the lessons of history. The Gospel makes us know the true Jesus, the living Jesus, who speaks to the heart and is a life changer as he was for Saint Francis of Assisi. "The joy of finding the treasure of the Kingdom of God comes through, can be seen. Christians cannot hide their faith."
07/26/2014VATICAN - ITALY For pope in Caserta, we must "have the courage to say no to evil" to "attain" the Kingdom of God "It is terrible for such a beautiful land to be ruined this way," said the pope as he arrived in a region scarred by dioxin caused by toxic and radioactive waste buried by the Camorra. "Whoever becomes God's friend, loves his brothers, commits himself to safeguarding their life and health, as well as the environment and nature."
07/26/2014ISRAEL - PALESTINE Gaza: Israel and Hamas agree to a 12-hour humanitarian truce Israel troops will continue to "locate and neutralise" Hamas tunnels and vows to respond to any attack. The international community continues to negotiate to achieve a seven-day ceasefire. Rescue team get to work in Gaza to treat the wounded, restore electricity and provide water supplies.
07/25/2014ASIA Air disasters: 2014 could beat 2005 in terms of fatalities So far this year, 680 people have died, higher than 12-month totals for the past three years. With 916 deaths, 2005 was the worst year. IATA points out that about 100,000 flights take place every day without incident with passenger trips on airlines exceeding three billion last year.
07/25/2014ISRAEL - PALESTINE As efforts to stop the war in Gaza intensify, death toll tops 800 Israel and Hamas are vetting a proposal US Secretary of State John Kerry for a temporary ceasefire, during which the parties meet to seek a wider agreement with Egypt's mediation. Yesterday, Israel hit a UN hospital in Gaza, killing at least 15 civilians.
07/25/2014BANGLADESH - HOLY LAND Bishop of Bangladesh: Stop Israeli attacks on Gaza, a humanitarian tragedy by Sumon Corraya Msgr. Gervas Rozario, President of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, condemns war on the Gaza Strip. The prelate also criticizes the actions of Hamas: "Terrorism generates terrorism, we need to embark on a path of dialogue and reconciliation”. Every day in Bangladesh, people of all religions and social backgrounds peacefully demonstrate against the Israeli attacks.
07/24/2014ISRAEL - PALESTINE Gaza war, the death toll grows; 150 Palestinians imprisoned and stripped naked The Palestinian death toll rises to 718; 32 Israeli soldiers and three civilians killed. Among these there is also a Thai migrant who worked in a garden centre near the Strip. Palestinians stripped naked because they were suspected of "terrorism". Uproar over unnecessary humiliation. Khaled Meshaal rejects any cease-fire. UN denounces use of schools in Gaza as a weapons depots. Ban on flights to and from Tel Aviv lifted, but the air traffic yet to return to normal.
_0726_-_Tregua.jpg)
.jpg)
